Tear In My Heart
by echelonwarrior
Summary: They said he was just a boy, but all their protests did not dissuade Voldemort's machinations. It was kill or be killed and not even a certain bushy haired witch could change that. AU HBP. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Prologue

First off, I never intended for this to actually become a thing. It was for a 1x1 roleplay on hex that I thought could really turn into something great. I'd been reading loads of Dramione and Fremione fanfics over the last few days and I decided that, since it has been quite a while since I have written anything on my own, that I'd turn this into something. Fair warning, this chapter may be a bit lengthy. It was supposed to set a basis for the story and although there is no Dramione interaction in this chapter quite yet, rest assured there will be in future chapters. On another note, feel free to drop reviews! I haven't written anything quite like this in a long time and I'm not quite sure if I want to do one point of view per chapter or two, mostly because I intend to write rather long chapters. Anywho, enjoy and feel free to throw out some suggestions! I may also be looking for someone to co-write with me but this is not mandatory either!

 **Disclaimer:** I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I do not. Everything belongs to the Queen, J.K Rowling. This woman has managed to capture our childhood with seven mere books and other installments and I'm just here to..well, I suppose you could say 'play with'. It is rated M for language, some triggering content and other mature content.

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 **PROLOGUE.**

There had come a time when Draco would have done absolutely anything to achieve greatness. In the past, he had hexed people, belittled themand picked at their insecurities to mask his own as he had done to more than a handful of his peers at Hogwarts and yet, he still felt empty. It was as though a portion of him were missing, perhaps discarded in the rather manic life that he had grown to loathe. The constant presence of The Dark Lord and those under the influence in his home was not something that had made his life any easier. Being forced to stay silent unless spoken to, finding himself far too afraid to speak even when given the chance in fear of upsetting him, didn't help the situation. Any other day, Draco would be sat within the library or perhaps even the den, with a book in his hand, drowning his sorrows in pages he'd read a thousand times over. It was the only way to cure both his boredom and to cease the constant materialization of thoughts that he would much rather bury and never have to relive.

For instance, the night he received his mark. Despite Malfoy Manor being lit with lavish chandeliers, it seemed almost night dark with the presence of The Dark Lord and his followers. They all sat completely still at the large, mahogany dining table. Like mannequins, no one dared make a move in fear of the retributions. The silence was deafening but he knew better than to speak out without having been cued to do so by The Dark Lord, even if they were in his own home. He was like an unwanted house guest that no one had the courage to dismiss. All Draco knew was that he wanted it all to be over. The meeting seemed to be dragging out, longer and longer and he could feel his mother, who sat his left, shiver with anticipation as they sat, waiting for someone, anyone, to say something. It had felt like hours, possibly more, before The Dark Lord had finally spoken, his Snake like red eyes scanning the room which had only caused Draco to once more advert his eyes, keeping his eyes on the very same spot on the table before him.

"Our discussion for the evening hits close to home," The Dark Lord began, dragging his words out almost excruciating slow, as if to draw anticipation from his followers. When no one spoke up, he continued, sitting idle as Nagini slithered around the chair he was perched in. " - it is obvioussss that my attemptsss on the life of Harry Potter have failed due to the incompetence of othersss," he drew out. It was blantly obvious that he was speaking of the Department of Mysteries debacle. All eyes would have fallen on that of Lucius, had anyone been brave enough to break away from their silent, catatonic gazes long enough to express any sort of distaste.

"Some of the fault fallsss upon myself as well -," he continued, interrupted by Bellatrix. "- _My Lord_ , nearly had the prophecy. Had it not been for the Order's interference -," a boney, pallid hand was raised to signal her silence. Defeated, Bellatrix sunk back into her chair next to her husband, Rodolphus.

" _Silence_ , Bella," he hissed, eyes lingering on his prized follower before he continued, " - I know for certain that my plans to take Potter's life are without flaw, until enacted upon by imbeciles. The prophecy lost, we must move on to an ulterior plan, one that I believe is much larger than Harry, at this current time."

All eyes from around the room fell onto The Dark Lord, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He'd heard mentions of Borgin & Burkes, the names 'Potter' and 'Dumbledore' coming up a few times before the room had fallen silent once more Draco didn't much pay a lick of attention. The harder he stared at the table before him, the easier it was for him to calm himself, though he was beginning to see white dots dancing across his vision. It wasn't until he had heard his name escape The Dark Lord's pale, thin lips, that Draco had finally removed his gaze from the table before him.

"Draco," he called down the table, burning red eyes searching to meet the cold, grey eyes of the youngest Malfoy.

" - my lord?" Draco inquired, swallowing the large lump in his throat. He was delighted, only that he had not squeaked out his name. He'd managed to subdue his fear by distracting himself from the meeting as a whole and part of him wondered if, perhaps because his attention was elsewhere, if he would be reprimanded for it. However, The Dark Lord did not speak directly to Draco after having caught his attention, to which Draco was most grateful, if that was what he could call what he was feeling.

The Dark Lord's red eyes scanned the room, his thin, pale lips curving into an almost unnerving grin as he finally had the attention of those in his inner circle. " - as Narcissa has frequently pointed out, Draco is but a boy. Entering his sixth year of Hogwarts, am I correct?" He inquired, eyes falling to that of Narcissa who met his gaze only briefly. "Yes, my lord..he turned sixteen on the fifth of June."

"Ah, yesss. Blossoming into a fine young man, much like his father _used_ to be," he commented, a few snickers emitting from around the table. Draco could feel Lucius, who sat to his left whilst Dolohov sat to his right. The snickering went on for only a moment before The Dark Lord raised yet another hand, causing the room to yet again fall to silence side from the crackling of the flames in the fireplace.

"As you all know, there is no way to enter Hogwarts. With all of the protection spells that have been cast, even the secret passages have been blocked from us, but there is a Vanishing Cabinet within Borgin & Burkes who twin resides somewhere within the castle. Broken as it may be, it is our only chance to infiltrate the school."

Suddenly, it had all dawned on Draco what The Dark Lord was getting at. _He_ was the only one at the table who could get in and out of Hogwarts without any trouble, save for Snape who had conveniently missed the meeting and though Draco was grateful that his godfather was not there to throw insults back and fourth with Bellatrix and Yaxley, he was quite sure that there would be some sort of punishment for it in the long run, unless he had one hell of an excuse or perhaps was doing some sort of task for The Dark Lord.

"Draco, as the only person in our ranks with the ability to get in and out of Hogwarts undetected, aside from Severus, it is your task to find the cabinet. Your task is, as you can probably guess, to find this cabinet and send word back here. The plan to infiltrate and take the castle will be a difficult task and one that will be a turning point in our plight," he paused, his eyes catching Draco's if only for a moment.

Frozen in fear, he didn't have the courage to meet his stone like gaze, nor could he find it in himself to speak. Every word that he had conjured had found itself lodged within his throat. Instead, he listened, his heart beat quickening as he listened to his plan of action. It seemed that every year, his attempts on Potter's life had failed but he seemed quite certain that the plan that he had come up with was going to do the job. The silence in the room was beginning to swallow Draco whole and he'd felt what he could only assume was the beginning of what a muggle would call a 'panic attack' before his father had nonchalantly elbowed him in the arm, causing a short, pained sensation in his arm.

"I take it, you are up for the task?" The Dark Lord inquired, his voice and facial expression making it quite evident that he did not like to be kept waiting.

It had taken a split second before Draco finally drew in a breath, adjusting himself in his seat to sit up straighter, to seem as though the task was almost too easy. "Of course, my lord." They were the only four words he could conjure, his throat still dry and his skin was beginning to feel clammy.

The Dark Lord's eyes softened, if that were even possible. Slowly, he glanced around the table, his eyes falling on the face Bellatrix was making. Whether or not she was actually proud of her nephew or accepting the task or just excited about the entire situation as a whole was unclear, but the look on Lucius' face compared to his sister-in-law's was easily described, in The Dark Lord's eyes, as fear. Uncertainty, perhaps. However, he felt that Lucius had failed him and every failure deserved to be punished, just as he had in days following the debacle in the Department of Mysteries. Draco, on the other hand, was more promising. He'd yet to disappoint him but he did wonder if perhaps he was being a little too easy on the boy. He was a just a boy, after all, but difficult times called for difficult measures and he was not quite finished with the youngest Malfoy.

"Once you have completed your first task and sent word of your success, we will take over the school. I will not be joining you on the grounds, of course, but once the school has been infiltrated those who stand in our way will back down or be brought down," The Dark Lord continued, noting the look of sinister delight gracing Bellatrix's features. " - the moment the lot of you make it within the school, the life of Albuss Dumbledore should be taken."

Dumbledore had come into conversation many times before during the meeting but somehow, Draco had found that it was different this time. His tone, the force behind each word that he had spoken. Either way, the more Draco listened, the more he dreaded the moments that followed in suit.

" - my lord! I would like to volunteer myself for the task!" Bellatrix shouted from down the table. Though he enjoyed her enthusiasm, he had already set his mind.

"As Draco would be the one to gain our access to the school, I think it only fitting that he be the one to end the old Headmaster's life," The Dark Lord responded, his eyes falling on Draco who was quite certain that everyone could tell how badly he was shaking or how exceedingly weary he had become of the entire situation. Draco had half expected some sort of response from his mother, hoped for it even, but none came, leaving Draco with only one plausible decision.

"I would..I would be honored, my lord." Draco stated. It was quite obviously a lie. Unlike the people sitting at the table with him, Draco had never once taken a life. He'd hardly truly known the severity of his family's loyalty and how far they would go to protect their legacy.

Draco would see jealousy engulfing his aunt's twisted features, but he didn't quite understand what it was about his situation that anyone could envy, other than getting on The Dark Lord's good side. He'd been given his instruction and he was quite certain that if he failed, he would be killed for his treachery. However, the silence in the room following his acceptation of the plan was beginning to make him feel uneasy.

"I had almost forgotten," The Dark Lord stated rather plainly, his eyes burning daggers into Draco's being. "Come, Draco. I have a gift for you." The blond sat still, at first. He was quite sure that whatever the gift was, it wasn't something that he would want. Though Draco willingly arose from his seat and made the short distance over to where The Dark Lord and Nagini sat, it had taken only The Dark Lord's final words for Draco to realize what exactly was going on. "Your sleeve, Draco." In that moment, he wanted to turn on his heel and run but no. He was far too proud to do so and wondered what might become of his mother if he were to do such a dastardly thing. Still, Draco stood idle for nearly a minute, unable to truly process what had been asked of him.

It had all but taken both Lucius and Dolohov to subdue the struggling Draco long enough for The Dark Lord to mark the boy. All he remembered was excruciating pain, followed by blacking out only to awaken an hour or so later in his bedroom, his blood boiling and the realization hit him soon after. Draco Malfoy had been marked in more ways than one.


	2. Chapter 1: Slow Burn, Part One

I still wasn't quite sure how I wanted to format this chapter. I had originally wanted to done point of view per chapter but I felt that this way was easier, but it also made for longer chapters. I'd love to get feedback on this decision; if it would be best to make shorter chapters (making the fanfiction longer) or doing chapters as long as this.

On another note, to fix any confusion, this chapter would take place a few days after Draco received his mark and after the trip to Diagon Alley where the trio saw Draco in Borgin & Burkes.

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 **CHAPTER ONE: SLOW BURN PART ONE.**

 **DRACO'S POV.**

An itching, burning sensation traveled up Draco's arm. The source of it no doubt his dark mark. Having been freshly branded by him, he had tried all that he could to appease the unwanted sensation in his forearm but had no luck in doing so. A distraction, he thought, was his next best choice. With the wave of a wand, Draco's school trunk had levitated from the floor at the edge of his bed and sat atop the fresh linens, opening itself and the lid falling backwards. Shoving his wand back into his pocket, he slowly and carefully began adding items into his trunk. Robes, parchment, quills, schoolbooks and other necessities began to fill themselves into his trunk with a wave of his wand and Draco found himself wondering if he would be able to complete the task given to him. He supposed there were only two options. Kill or be killed. It wasn't a win, win situation. In fact, the more Draco thought about it, the more he dreaded the idea of his sixth school year. He didn't want to be the one to end Dumbledore's life. He may not have agreed with him on most things, thought he was a daft old man perhaps, and Draco might have been a bad person but he wasn't a killer.

With a quick glance across the room to the large grandfather clock, Draco finished packing the rest of his trunk quickly, both anticipating the feeling the earth of the grounds of Hogwarts beneath his feet but also feeling a sense of dread washing over him, knowing full well exactly what sort of school year would be ahead of him. Still, he pulled on his suit jacket, straightening it and running a hand through his hair in an effort to make it more presentable before he made his way down to the den, school trunk floating behind him to the fireplace where his mother waited. Neither of them exchanged words - there wasn't much to say. They didn't want to be in the position that they were in but there were in too deep and there was no going back. Without a word, they stepped into the fire place and used the floo network to get to a wizard friendly area in London before they had made it to King's Cross Station.

It was crowded, as per usual, but Draco himself didn't have time to mingle with the 'friends' that he had seen as they had crossed the barrier onto the platform. Instead, Draco pressed a chaste kiss to his mother's pale cheek. The two hadn't properly spoken in at least a day, since he had been branded. He tried not to think about it, but they both knew that it was there. It had taken a moment before Draco had garnered enough courage to separate himself from his mother, leaving her behind as he walked down the platform, meeting Blaise and Pansy.

Draco's grey-blue eyes seemed lifeless, even he knew so. He had spent a load of time in his bedroom, examining his reflection. Not in a conceited way but more so surveying the damage. His eyes seemed so hollow. His skin just as pale as ever, possibly even more. He'd done all that he could perfect his appearance. His hair was combed back perfectly, as always. He wore an expensive black suit, displaying his social status but it didn't make up for the fact that the dark mark on his forearm burned with such intensity that at some moments, he couldn't quite bare it.

"Draco. I half expected you to have already staked your claim on a in our compartment," Blaise commented as Draco had approached the pair. It was obvious in Draco's eyes that the two of them were weary. Their parents were supporters, just as his were, but there was some sort of sad reality that seemed evident in the pair. They both knew that The Dark Lord had made the manor into his permanent headquarters for the time being and he hardly expected them to truly understand the severity of it.

He had hoped that the pain would subside within a day or so but it had persisted, causing him to be quite agitated due to both the uncomfortable burning sensation on his forearm and the fact that he had to attend school at the same time as having to successfully complete a plan of action for The Dark Lord. The mere idea startled Draco. He didn't want to off Dumbledore. He might not have liked the old man personally, but he was an amazing wizard and a seemingly caring headmaster. _But he didn't have a choice_.

"I had business to take care of," Draco stated nonchalantly, leaving it at that before he'd made a move to board the Hogwarts Express and make his way through the carriages, eyes rolling over each person he passed and locking on that of Hermione Granger, in passing, on his way towards the Slytherin carriage. _Great_ , he muttered to himself. It was due to his upbringing that Draco had developed the views of old pureblood traditions. Granger was an excellent witch, he would not deny that, but she was a muggleborn. Any thoughts that he could have had for her were drowned by the fact that he he was raised to hate people like her and would likely be disowned as well as quite possibly killed for any attempt to act on any thought he might have towards the brunette.

He tore his eyes away from her and ventured towards the Slytherin carriage, taking a seat next to the window only to be joined by Blaise and Pansy but a moment later. Though they continued to badger him to see how his summer had been and to gain access into the knowledge that he had, Draco merely commented that ' _it was none of their business_ ' and left it at that.

 **HERMIONE'S POV.**

 _Three_. That was how many students' whose parents had refused to allow them to return to school. Her parents themselves had tried desperately to convince their daughter to abandon her education at Hogwarts for her own safety. To no avail, of course. Hermione was quite aware of the dangers of returning to Hogwarts for her sixth year. After what had occurred in the Department of Mysteries during her fifth year and the events that had begun soon after, witches and Wizards were going missing, turning up dead and shops were being destroyed. The Dark Lord was on the rise again and the Wizarding World was only just starting to notice. Whether or not there were dangers of returning to school or not, Hermione could not stay home. By doing so, she would not be able to assist Harry if it were necessary and it seemed as though he he a knack for getting into danger. Had it not been for her, there would have been several things to go awry during the last five years of attending Hogwarts and though she knew Harry was intelligent, she highly doubted Harry would have been successful without her and Ron at his side.

She'd put off another conversation with her parents and had retreated to her bedroom following breakfast. Though she understood that her parents only wanted to protect her, she knew where she was needed. Despite their protests, Hermione did, indeed, pack her school trunk and had plans of buying her school textbooks when she had made it to the Burrow and gone to Diagon Alley alongside Ron, Harry and Ginny. Among other things during her visit, the majority of her time spent at the Burrow was in discussion of Harry's suspicions over the school year, Voldemort and of course, Draco Malfoy. Though Hermione didn't particularly agree with Malfoy's views and choice of company, she hadn't seen anything truly wrong with him visiting Borgin and Burkes. Harry had supposedly seen Draco reserving a necklace and there had been some conversation about him having received a dark mark, but she found it all rather tedious. She wasn't going to agree or disagree with Harry's suspicions. She hadn't been there to see Draco reserved the necklace, nor did she think that The Dark Lord would give a student wizard a dark mark, despite his family's connections and questionable loyalties. She had hoped that her opinion on the matter would put the subject to rest, but her attempts had failed.

The conversation had been revisited, unfortunately, the moment Harry had caught sight of Draco on the platform. They'd all been getting ready to board the train but somehow, Harry seemed to have been hell bent on proving that Draco was a Death Eater. Hermione herself felt the topic was only getting more and more ridiculous. Though she and Ron had managed to get Harry to board the train and into one of the compartments without following Draco to the Slytherin part of the train. Her patience was beginning to wear thin and she'd only just start to calm herself when Harry had brought it up again.

" - Harry, you can't accuse people of being marked just because of their questionable morals and your distaste for them," Hermione sounded in response with a roll of her eyes. Her patience was beginning to wear thin.

Harry's jaw seemed to twitch, a tick that she had noticed happened quite often when he was upset. "His father and his aunt are Death Eaters, Hermione!"

She almost laughed. _Almost_. "He's a student. What could Draco possibly have been tasked with?" Her own question had brought numerous thoughts into her mind. He could have been tasked with many things, some of them she didn't even want to think about. However, she would give Draco the benefit of the doubt. Whilst they didn't particularly see eye to eye, she didn't think he was willing to ruin his life. Or was he?

"He's right, 'Mione. I mean, his family isn't exactly The conversations with Harry on the topic of Draco had ceased only when Hermione had exited their compartment with her robes in hand. They were only a few hours away from Hogwarts at that point and though it was quite early to change, she'd hoped that by leaving Harry and Ron alone in their compartment that, by the time she had returned, they would have hopefully begun discussing another less tedious topic. She had made it past a few compartments on her way to the loo to change. She'd spotted a pair of seventh years snogging, Luna passing out copies of The Quibbler and the trolly passing out sweets to whomever wanted them, but by the time she had reached the loo, she'd realized that there was a long line. With a sigh, she wasn't quite sure what to do. It was quite early to return to the compartment and though she could try to focus on studying for her classes that would be held on the first day, she doubted she would get much done without Harry and Ron as a distraction. A heavy sigh escaped her parted lips as she slowly began to bypass students who stood in the hall of the train, attempted to make her way to a loo that didn't have such a long line.

The further she walked, the closer she seemed to get to the Slytherin part of the train. She knew exactly what sort of torment she would get if she were to use pass through their compartment area so instead, she made it to the loo just before their compartments, frowning slightly when she realized that it was occupied. However, at least there wasn't a long line. The only one standing outside the door, Hermione folded her arms over her chest, clutching her robes to her as she waited for whomever was in the loo to exit.


	3. Chapter 2: Slow Burn, Part Two

Sorry it has taken so long to get another chapter out, guys! Life has been hectic lately but I should get back into a steady posting schedule soon! In the mean time, here is another chapter as a gift! I understand that this chapter was short. It will not be happening again, as it was more so an ending to the first chapter that I'd had and I didn't want to, originally, make that chapter too long. You will be getting two chapters today, and more than likely I will be back to posting one to two chapters a week as things at work have really slowed down! Also, I'm still looking for someone to co-write with. This isn't a necessary thing and I will still find time to write this fic without one but it would make it a lot easier on me! And, I still can't decide on whether or not I should stick to one point of view per chapter or two. Any suggestions? Don't be afraid to message me if you have any ideas or suggestions for this fic, either! I love to incorporate new ideas!

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 **DRACO'S POV.**

As the train had began it's descent down the tracks, Draco paid no attention to the hoards of witches and wizards outside of the train, waving goodbye to their children. He thought it was rather pathetic, in all honesty. He hadn't waved in his first year, he wasn't about to do it now. Besides, he was too important now to be seen doing something so lame. Draco strode through the train, pushing people out of his way, as he made his way to the Slytherin cabin. He was thoroughly annoyed by the time he pulled the doors open and he sat down on his usual seat with a soft thud. Going on six years of the same routine, the poor cushion was on its last leg.

He nodded to Crabbe and Goyle when they entered, but went back to staring out the window without saying a word as Blaise and Pansy took their seat across from him. He wanted to share his life-changing secret with them, but he wasn't sure they would understand. He had always been the leader of their little posse and he knew they wouldn't rat him out, but he didn't know if he'd truly have their friendship anymore. He was surprised to realize that their willingness to be his friend was important to him. If he told them, if he showed them, they would feel obligated to be his friend, but that was different than them actually wanting to.

Draco suddenly felt claustrophobic and stood up from his seat. His sudden movement caught the eyes of his fellow Slytherins, but he paid no attention as he made his way to the door. He slid it shut behind him and took a deep breath. The episode was passing, but he didn't want any more of an audience, so he slipped inside the loo and locked the door. He splashed some water on his face, hoping the cold would help liven him back up. After a few more minutes, he felt better and dried his face off before exiting.

He bumped into someone as he was leaving and turned to yell at whoever it was. His eyes landed on a mess of curly brown hair and his body naturally scowled when it registered that it was Hermione. "Hello, Granger. Mudblood restroom out of order?" he didn't wait for a response, "Too bad. This loo is off limits to Mudbloods." He told her with a sneer, his arms crossed in front of him. The look on her face was award enough for his statement.

Of course, of all people who could have exited the loo it would have been Draco. There was no doubt in his mind that she and her idiot friends had been talking about him or she wouldn't have looked so flabbergasted. The fact that he could make her look like that had crossed his mind but he immediately shook it from his thoughts, not completely sure why he'd thought that in the first place.

" - the bathrooms aren't split up by blood status, _Malfoy_ ," she commented with the roll of her eyes. "I hardly doubt that if it were, you'd be using this particular one. I'm sure they would have built one specifically for you and your housemates to keep the rest of _us_ safe from harms way." Draco could vaguely imagine would would occur if the restrooms on the train had been built like the ones at school. With more than one stall and the access any student could have to torment another. He was quickly reminded of Moaning Myrtle and her stay in the girl's restroom.

Draco scowled after her 'out of harms way' comment. If she only knew the truth, she wouldn't be so flippant towards him. She would finally see the power he truly had and wouldn't dare dismiss him as just 'Malfoy'. Their verbal assaults had been going on for 6 years now and he was getting tired of it. He was born to a rich, prominent family, and she was the daughter of two muggles. He clearly was better than her, but she refused to see it.

He did have to admit though, she was a brilliant witch. He would never admit it to anyone, but if she were Pureblood, his parents would be pushing him to date the most brilliant witch of their year in hopes that they would get married and pop out the perfect mix of Malfoy baby with his looks and her brains. That wasn't the case though, so it made it too easy to point out her flaws and antagonize her for them.

The sound of the whistle had gone through the air, alerting everyone to their soon arrival at the school. "You have no idea," he told her in response, adding to the sinister look he always wore. He turned on his heel and stormed back into the Slytherin compartment. His encounter with Granger had put him in a bad mood so he plopped down next to Crabbe and Goyle, intent on taking his mind off of her. He could never understand why she affected him so much, but he could only surmise it was because she was the first Mudblood he had ever met. His parents had been careful not to expose him to anyone or thing that wasn't good enough for a Malfoy. It was too bad Hogwarts wasn't classy enough for the same treatment.

 **HERMIONE'S POV.**

For the last five years, Hermione and her friends had been subject to insults and comments from Draco and his housemates that would make them livid. There had been times that she had even found herself shedding tears over the comments that were said about her but over the years, she had gotten used to it. It was sad, but a true fact that applied even to him calling her a 'mudblood'. Perhaps if things were different, she would merely have returned to him as his first name but she assumed that that time would never come.

They were not friends, not even truly enemies per say. They were just different. Where he had come from one of the oldest Pureblood families in the Wizarding World, she was merely the daughter of a pair of muggles, one of them a Dental Hygienist. Whilst she may have put her mind to work and become the brightest witch in their class, the two of them had absolutely nothing in common. They were likely on opposite sides of the war, which only added to the fact.

Within seconds of his final comment, he'd stalked away towards the Slytherin compartments. She didn't know why she cared that he was walking away from her or why their short conversation, if it could really be called one, had stuck to her mind as she'd ducked into the loo to change into her school robes before she returned to the compartment that she had been sharing with Harry and Ron, hoping that the conversation about Draco, who had already been on her mind even if she wouldn't admit it, was over.

It had only been an hour or so before they had arrived at Hogwarts. Following in suit with the rest of her friends, Hermione began to exit the train, frowning slightly when Harry disappeared within the train. She wasn't quite sure what he was on about, though she was quite sure it had something to do with his suspicions about Draco. Irregardless of the fact that she found it rather silly, Hermione boarded one of the carriages pulled along by threstals, taking her seat between Luna and Ginny.


End file.
